I ran across this article today, it’s about a grandmother who has made the active choice to protect herself by prepping for an uncertain future. She made changes in her lifestyle to help her get through any tough times that might come her way. I say with tongue firmly planted in cheek, this grandma has gone all TEOTWAWKI, all I can say is, you go granny!
I don’t agree with everything in this article, such as the parts about making a big deal about people stockpiling guns as a result of the potential coming problems, yes, many people who have their eyes wide open do have guns, I don’t see that as a bad thing or even a shocking thing. I really dislike the spin the media puts on people owning guns, like it’s a bad thing, as if it’s out of the ordinary. Main stream media, please stop making people who own guns look like they are crazed fanatics. The other thing I don’t agree with is the “end of the world” thing, the world isn’t coming to an end, and if it did, it wouldn’t matter, none of us would be here to worry about it, now it is quite possible that The End Of The World AS WE KNOW IT is coming, and those who are prepared will have a better chance of surviving than those who think the government is going to save us, just ask the Katrina victims.
I also don’t care for the term “Doomsteads” in reference to those who are trying to go off-grid and/or live off the land, ie being more self-sufficient, it sounds too drastic, doom and gloom and all, I certainly don’t consider myself a doomsteader, nor do I consider all of the other survivalist I know to be doomsteaders.
I feel sorry for Kathie’s family, they think she has gone overboard on this, her husband left (please see the comment from “Friend of” at the bottom of this article and my reply), her DIL worries that she has gone too far and is depressed, I’d bet almost anything that if/when TEOTWAWKI happens, they will all be on her doorstep asking to come in and wishing they had listened to her. JMHO.
I am happy though, that the main stream media is starting to focus on the more normal people who are trying to get ready for what is coming, too often they focus on the crazed, wild eyed, backwoods man and/or his family wearing rags, living in a shack with no running water, it’s about time that the main stream media realized that we are real people, normal people, living simple lives, consuming less and getting by just fine, we are happy, we are healthy, we have everything we need to live and survive.
‘Recession Apocalypse’: Preparing for the End of the World
In the serene hills of rural upstate New York, Kathie Breault is hunkering down for doomsday. It’s not an all-out Armageddon that the 51-year-old grandmother is convinced of, but an imminent economic apocalypse.
A few years ago, Breault began reading about what happens when the world surpasses “peak oil” — a point where we will use more oil than we can produce.
“I was afraid that any day that oil would disappear, that gas would start to disappear, that I wouldn’t be able to get to work, I wouldn’t have money, I wouldn’t have food that I needed,” she said. “It was frightening — the picture that was painted.”
Breault and a growing number of so-called “economic survivalists,” are convinced that when oil supply wanes, the world will head for calamity; governments and the global economy will dissolve into chaos and collapse, the group believes, changing life as we know it.
“Everything that we do in our lives is dependent on abundant, cheap energy — all the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the transportation. We’ve lost everything that we know about how to live in a different way,” she said. “I’m totally dependent on a system that I think isn’t going to be there in the future.”
To prepare for a looming catastrophe, Breault began eating healthier, walking four miles a day and biking. She lost 100 pounds as a result. Getting rid of her TV and credit cards, she slashed her monthly expenses and now heats her entire house with a tiny wood-burning stove.
“It gets cold, I wear a hat to bed and I wear lots of layers. I wear long underwear all winter,” she said.
Breault’s survivalist lifestyle marks a radical departure from the consumer-driven life she used to lead. “I was in the malls — big Christmases, big holidays. Every weekend, I was entertaining my family, we had great get-togethers, lots of food. I took trips to Mexico and Ireland and across the country, conferences. Eat, drink, have a good time,” Breault said. “I had a wonderful life. I traveled where I wanted to, I did what I wanted to, and I bought what I wanted to. And I overconsumed.”
Read the rest of the article here:
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/Story?id=7579167&page=1
11 Responses
Justb found your article, and your facts aren’t all straight. Sorry. I’m friends with both Ms.Breault and her former husband, and he did not leave her. It was the other way around. She’s a beautiful soul, but the truth is that she’s the one who left her marriage. Her husband did not do the leaving. (They’re both very happy now, BTW.) If you’re going to put something on the internet for the world to see–please investigate next time, and get the facts straight.
Ahhh, thank you for the heads up, I didn’t write the original story, I was going by what the original author wrote, my interest in the story was about the grandmother becoming independent by prepping for an unknown future, not who left who. I am glad to hear that everyone is happy.
If more people did what this lady is doing then America would be a better place. less reliant on China made junk and fast food. It would be a healthier place where people understood where their food came from and what it took to grow it.
We raise all our own food. Meat, fruit and veggies on our 9 acres. What we do have to buy, we buy locally.
it’s a shame her family were not supportive.
Rosie, that is soooo true, if more people would do what she is doing, all of us would be better off, now and later. Do you have a blog about your farm life? If not, maybe you should consider writing about your life, things like that are becoming a lost art, knowledge needs to be passed down.
Thanks for writing,
Wretha
i am self sufficient and live off the grid. Currently on 4 acres in a 102 square foot home. I am a pacifist and abhor violence and firearms. What will happen when those that didnt prepare come to me unable to defend what I have?
Hi Glen, you are in a unique position, being prepared but not being willing to protect yourself to keep what you have worked so hard to get. You can either go on as you are and allow whatever happens to happen, or you can hide what you have been doing, people can’t take what they can’t see. Camouflage anything that says “humans live here”, hide any cultivated plants, if you have established trails where you walk, then start making new ones that lead away from you and your stuff, try to camouflage your real trails in any way you can… if hard times come maybe you can make some signs that say something to the effect of virus warning, or quarantine, anything that might discourage people from wandering around your place… go underground if you can, do something, anything that would camouflage the appearance of someone living there. Good luck, I too dislike violence, BUT I will defend myself, my family and friends as well as my property, I will go down fighting if I have to.
The woman had a personal crisis and did what she needed to deal with it. As you said, Wretha, “Go Granny!”
I’m very blessed with a husband who, although not survival minded, is very supportive of what I do to get us to where we need to be (ie, retired on a piece of property where we can be, at lease somewhat, safe). The crazier things get in this world, the more my hubby is coming over to my way of thinking. We have a good ways to go, but everything we do is getting us a little bit closer.
TheMajor’sLady
TheMajor’sLady, I am so glad to hear that you have a suportive hubby, it makes life so much easier when you are both on the same side, pulling in the same direction. :)
TheMajor’sLady, I am so happy to hear that you have a supportive hubby, it’s nice to have someone on the same side pulling in the same direction, it makes life so much easier. :)
Thank for the link to the article, I really enjoyed it. It is a shame her family thinks she is taking it too far and that her husband divorced her but on the positive side she lost 100 lbs and is happy.
I waited till I could come to the library to comment for as you know I have dial-up internet but for some reason I can’t hear the video…it is always something, lol.
MsBelinda, don’t worry about hearing the video, the main article (below what I wrote) is a transcript of the video, word for word. As far as her family goes, it is a shame, but as I said, when things go bad/wrong, she will be there, safe and secure, and her family will come back then…
Wretha